My Decision
by Mystique6
Summary: Stella is 21 years old when her life takes a new twist. She's a vampire now but she's all alone in the world until she meets the Cullens. She's confused and angry and she doesn't remember what happened to her on the night that changed her life. She doesn't really trust this family who have taken her in. Can she adjust to her new life and family?
1. Chapter 1

Okay I've decided to do a Twilight fan fiction but I'm going to give it something of a twist. This actually isn't going to be the first chapter as much as the introduction. I've decided to add two new Cullens into the family and I want to use this introduction to give you guys background on one of the characters. I want to give you background on Nathaniel who has been with the Cullens for thirty years now. I'm jumping about ninety years after Breaking Dawn. I've also decided that I'm going to write with different characters point of view. I will try and keep it from becoming confusing.

I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. The only characters that are mine are Nathaniel and Stella. All others belong to Stephanie Meyers.

Introduction

Nathaniel Cullen:

He was born in in 1759 to Richard and Helen Edwards. He grew up in Boston Massachusetts. He was a free spirited boy and extremely independent. He always liked adventure and he and his little brother Andrew played soldier for hours when they were young. When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775 he longed to fight in it alongside his father but his mother forbade him from entering the war until he turned 18. So Nathaniel waited two years and entered the war in May of 1777.

He was not assigned to his father's regimen but that didn't keep him down for long. He quickly put all his attention into his training and quickly became a good soldier. He was popular among his comrades for his easy going and benevolent nature. He quickly became close to one of the men in his regiment, named Garret. They were kindred spirits and bonded instantly. They fought well together and both believed whole heartedly on gaining independence from the British. Then three years later in March of 1980 Garret suddenly disappeared after one battle. Nathaniel was devastated at the loss of his friend and was even more agitated when his body couldn't be found. He was afraid that his friend had been taken captive by the British and was now a prisoner of war.

Nathaniel was now a lieutenant and a few weeks after the loss of his friend he led his troops into another battle. However, Nathaniel's luck had worn off and he was severely wounded. He watched from where he fell as the British troops destroyed his forces and they were forced to retreat. He clutched the wound in his stomach and waited to die. An hour after the battle though he stilled lingered and thought maybe if his troops came back soon he might live. And just as he thought that a person did step out of the woods but it wasn't a man from his troops.

Anxious, Nathaniel lifted his head to see who it was and was temporarily relieved when he saw that it was not a British soldier. However, he became anxious once more when he realized that this was not your typical person. The man who entered the field was physically imposing. He was muscular and inhuman. His skin was alabaster white and seemed to glow in the faint sunlight. Nathaniel didn't know why but he was afraid. He watched in growing fear as the man stepped up to one if his fallen soldiers and lifted the man's throat to his face. He watched in horror as the man bit into his comrade's neck and drank the blood.

Nathaniel had never believed in vampires although he'd heard the myths. But now he was proven wrong. The vampire dropped his prey and moved toward Nathaniel. "Well no way in hell am I going out this way," Nathaniel had thought and he struggled to reach his gun. Just as the vampire began to reach for him Nathaniel whipped around and shot the beast with his gun. He was dismayed when the bullet ricocheted off the man's stone hard skin.

The vampire chuckled. "You have spirit," he hissed. "It would be wasteful to spill your blood." Nathaniel struggled as the man leant over him and bit him. However, he did not drink from him as he had the other man and Nathaniel was relieved when the vampire walked off to another person. However, once again, his relief was short lived. Almost immediately he began to feel as though his body were burning. He let out a painful howl and his body convulsed in pain. He didn't know what was happening but he knew it wasn't good and he knew he couldn't let himself be found by his troops. With all the strength he had left in his body he dragged himself into the woods and hid in a bog where he knew no one would look to find him. He lay there for three days writhing in agony and doing his best from crying out in pain.

After the three days he felt the fire leave his body. To his amazement he felt stronger than he ever had before. Hesitantly he stood up and stepped out of the bog. He could see things better than he ever could before and he could swear he heard the voices of men hundreds of feet away from where he was. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened to him but he was dying to find out. Without thinking about he broke off in a run in the direction of the voices and was amazed at the speed he was going. Something wasn't right but he didn't know what it was. He couldn't remember what had happened to him during the battle. All he could remember was being shot and then a strange man talking to him. Neither of which really gave him an explanation for what had happened to him now.

In no time at all he had reached the site of the men's' voices. It was a British troop and the men were sitting around a campfire. In Nathaniel's opinion they looked a little worse for the wear but the men were happily discussing the day's events. Nathaniel didn't know why but he felt his throat burning in desire. He felt himself unwillingly step out from his hiding place and step up to the men around the fire.

A British soldier looked up and said angrily. "Now listen here Yankee," he spat. "We won't be hesitant about shooting you if you start any trouble." But he didn't get a chance to say more. Nathaniel's throat was on fire and he instinctively reached out to the soldier and bit into his neck and sucked him dry. He heard the screams of the men around the fire and was aware of the bullets bouncing off of him. Dropping the now dead man to the ground he preceded to take out the entire campsite. When everyone other than Nathaniel was dead and his thirst was satiated reason came back into his mind. He looked around in horror and amazement at what he had just done. But now he understood what had happened to him. He remembered that the man who had entered the clearing where he had been dying had bitten him. Nathaniel knew what he was now. He was a vampire.

Over the years Nathaniel learned his strengths and limitations. He grew to enjoy his life as a vampire and quickly forgot about his life as a human. He didn't forget about his friend Garret though. So Nathaniel went on and traveled the world and did a lot of really exciting things. He never lost his desire for adventure and glory and fought in the many wars throughout history. War was easy if you couldn't die. However, he did get bored occasionally and it was in one of these times that he met the Cullens. He had been wondering through the woods one day when he came across a group of people like him. To his surprise it looked like they were waiting for him.

"Hello, Nathaniel," one of the blonde men said stepping forward to greet him. "My name's Carlisle. This is my family." Nathaniel looked behind the man who'd introduced himself at the group of vampires behind them. He had never seen so many together at one time before.

"Family?" he asked skeptically.

The vampire named Carlisle laughed. "Yes, I expect you're more familiar with the term coven," he said kindly. "However, our life style differs from most vampires."

It was then that Nathaniel noticed Carlisle's gold eyes. He took a step back in surprise and his eyes darted to the rest of the group. They all had the same golden eyes. All except for the youngest female, whose eyes were a chocolate brown? He felt his curiosity piqued and he couldn't help but blurt out, "Different how?"

Carlisle chuckled. "I'll be happy to explain to it to you if you'll come back with us to my family's home," he said invitingly. "But before that I think introductions are in order."

Nathaniel nodded his consent and said with some wonder, "It seems you already know who I am," he joked. "But my mother taught me my manners and she would be highly embarrassed if I didn't introduce myself. Nathaniel Edwards, born in 1759 to the late Richard and Helen Edwards."

The female with the Carmel colored hair stepped forward first and Nathaniel instantly liked her. She moved in a way that instantly reminded him of his own mother and he held out a hand for her to shake. "My name's Esme," she said gently. "I'm so glad to meet you. Alice says you'll be joining our family and I think you'll make a wonderful addition."

Nathaniel's eyes widen in surprise and he looked over at the girl Esme pointed to. She was a pipsqueak and Nathaniel doubted she even reached his shoulder. Alice seemed to realize she'd been put on the spot and immediately began to explain what Esme had been referring to. "Have you ever heard of vampires with special gifts, Nathaniel?" she asked curiously.

"No miss," he said politely. "I'm afraid I haven't."

"That's okay," she said as she…danced… up to him. "Most of our kind isn't aware of these special abilities. It's actually pretty rare."

Nathaniel felt his lips pull into a smirk. "For some reason," he quipped. "The fact that you're a rarity doesn't surprise me."

Alice laughed. "I'd say I'm more of a fortune teller," she said lightly. "I can predict the future, although it's not always accurate. I saw you coming and joining our family. That's why Carlisle knew your name."

"Well, I guess there's no point in arguing that," he laughed. "Are you the only one with super powers?"

Alice laughed. "No, Jasper can manipulate emotions and Edward can read minds," she said pointing to the red haired boy.

"Really?" Nathaniel said curiously. "Can he tell me what I'm thinking?"

"You're wondering if maybe you will stay with us," Edward said stepping forward. "You have a very clean mind. It's rare to meet someone so comfortable with themselves."

"Hey," Nathaniel answered. "If you have to live forever you might as well like yourself."

"An excellent philosophy," Carlisle cut in staring pointedly at Edward.

"I agree," Edward replied before calling for two of the vampires behind him. "This is my wife Bella. She's a shield. She can block any mentally penetrating gift. And this is our daughter Renesmee. She can do a little of both of our gifts."

Nathaniel quickly noticed that Renesmee was not a vampire nor was she human. He was surprised he'd missed it beforehand. He also noticed how much she resembled both Bella and Edward. His eyebrows rose in shock. "Do you mean to tell me your wife had her while she was still a human? I didn't know that was possible," he asked amazed.

"Neither did we," Edward said almost painfully.

Bella put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "She was a miracle," she said fondly smiling down at her daughter.

Nathaniel smiled. "Well, you learn something new every day," he laughed. The others then introduced themselves and Nathaniel found himself following them back to their home. He whistled upon the site of it. "You weren't joking when you said home."

"Do you like it?" Esme asked eagerly.

"I love it," Nathaniel answered. "I am curious about something, though."

"What's that?" Esme questioned.

"Which room's going to be mine," she replied smiling down at her. The others laughed.

"Edward and Bella live separately from us so you can have Edward's old room," Esme answered.

"Yes, but there is something you should know about us before you decide to stay," Carlisle added.

"Does this have to do with the color of your eyes?" Nathaniel asked dying to figure out this new mystery.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "I told you our family was different. I'm sure you can see that for yourself."

Nathaniel nodded. "I didn't know there were covens this large," he answered. "The one's I've run into over the years were small and they seemed to fight amongst each other."

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "That's part of our species nature. The competition for human blood makes us, dangerous companions, to each other. But that's where our family differs."

"Differ, how, exactly?" he asked curiously.

"We don't feed off humans," Carlisle answered. "We feed off of animal blood. That's what makes us capable of living peacefully with each other."

"Animal blood?" Nathaniel said in disbelief.

"It's not as satisfying as human blood but we can sustain off it," Carlisle explained.

Nathaniel shook his head. "But how do you resist your true nature?" he asked confused.

"I don't think the part of me that desires human blood as my true nature," Carlisle responded. "I don't let it control me."

"But doesn't the animal blood weaken you?" he asked. "Or at least weaken your self-control?"

"We may be fractionally weaker than those of our kind that drink human blood," Carlisle answered honestly. "But believe when I tell you it doesn't make that noticeable of a difference."

Nathaniel pondered over what he was being told. He liked this family. They were different from the vampires he had met over the years. They were nearly human. He liked the idea of becoming a member of the clan, but…animal blood? Did he really want to do that? Did he really want to give up human blood? He could see the benefits of doing just that right in front of him and he had to admit they looked pretty good next to his nomadic life style. But was he prepared to give up on what he knew and quite frankly enjoyed? Could he give it up? Well it's not like he had anything to lose.

"I could give your diet a try," he said hesitantly. And try he did. For the most part he was successful. He slipped every once in a while and there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't want to taste human blood. But he was happy with his new family. He enjoyed the stability of it and he became very close to his new siblings. It was almost like it had been when he was human.


	2. Chapter 2 Attacked

Author's note: okay so this is really the first chapter. I know I said in the introduction that the story was going to be told in different characters' points of view but I wasn't really being clear. Actually that's not what I meant at all. This story is not being told in first person so I'll be narrating the story from different characters point of view. Does this make sense? I hope so. Please review guys. I could really use the input. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Once again I do not own anything from the Twilight series. All that belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter One

Stella Donahue was stuck in traffic. She should have expected this. She was on her way to see her favorite band, Monster, play in concert. She should have been excited, but instead she was angry and disappointed. She was supposed to be with her boyfriend, Darren, who had bought the tickets for her birthday but he had come down with the flu and now she had to go to the concert alone. And now that she'd hit traffic she wished she had decided not to go. She sighed impatiently and looked at the empty seat next to her.

She wouldn't have minded the traffic so much if Darren were here with her. They probably would have spent the intervals where they weren't moving making out or playing I Spy. She never knew with him, and that's why she loved him. They had been dating for two years now. Stella smiled remembering the day they had first met. It was the night after she graduated college. She should have been thrilled. She had graduated with a 4.0 and was accepted into Harvard's Law School program. Instead she was a wreck. Her boyfriend of five years had broken up with her that morning. She had cried all day and wouldn't even go to her own graduation party. Finally, to escape her mother's coddling she had gone out to the bar and shot down three dry martinis.

She had been on her fourth when Darren had sat down next to her. "I hope you weren't planning on driving home," he had teased good naturedly.

Stella had turned around to tell him it was none of his business what she intended to do but stopped dead in her tracks just by the sight of him. Holy fuck was he hot. He had curly jet black hair and laughing blue eyes that contrasted with his tan skin. He was giving her a friendly lazy smile that made her heart spike. "Guess I'll have to push the car home," she replied and he laughed.

"I could drive you home," he offered.

She shook her head. "I'm not going to be ready to go until I've had at least three more," she said waving her martini glass at him.

He whistled. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

"Ha!" she scoffed. "What's there to talk about? How my boyfriend dumped me the day after we graduated from college? How he told me he broke up with me because I expected him to be perfect? How I pushed him away? I don't see anything to talk about there?" In the back of her mind she was aware of other people at the bar staring at her. Apparently, she was a loud drunk.

But her new companion didn't seem to mind. Instead of looking extremely uncomfortable his face split into another easy grin. "He broke up with you right after graduation?" he asked in mock horror. "That jerk!"

She had stared at him for ten seconds before she burst out laughing. She felt the heat in her stomach boil with complete anger at her exboyfriend and complete shock at this stranger's attempts to pull her out of the dark. She laughed until she cried. She laughed until she couldn't breathe and was gasping for air. She laughed until she was no longer laughing but sobbing hysterically.

"Hey," he said softly pulling her into his arms and stroking her tangled, platinum blonde hair. "I'm sorry that was insensitive of me. I didn't mean to upset you."

She gasped for air trying to stop her tears. She hiccoughed noisily into his shoulder until slowly she was able to catch her breath. She felt her heart slow down and her body relaxed against him. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep. Embarrassed she pulled away from him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

He stared kindly into her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you," he replied. "My name's Darren by the way, Darren Varnes."

"Stella Donahue," she hiccoughed.

He smiled at her. "Well, Stella I think I better get you home," he said and before she could stop him he turned to the bartender and paid her bill.

"You didn't have to do that," she muttered.

"Don't worry about it," he replied and helped her down from the barstool. "Come on, my car's out back." She followed him out into the parking lot and to a beat up Chevy truck. She felt her lips tug up at the corners in spite of herself. He looked down at her and laughed. "That's right, I'm about as red necked as they come."

She shook her head. "I never would have guessed," she laughed as he helped her into the passenger seat and buckled her in.

"Well, you would if you got to know me," he replied before shutting her door and walking around the car.

She smiled at the thought. "I'd like that," she said softly as he got into the car.

"You'd like what?" he asked turning the key in the ignition.

"To get to know you," she answered rolling her head around to look at him.

He turned to look at her. "Well," he said finally. "I'm free tomorrow night."

Stella snapped back into the present. Traffic hadn't moved an inch but she was feeling less upset now. Darren always had a way of calming her down, even when he wasn't with her. Their relationship had taken off after that night. Stella had fallen completely in love with him. She looked down at her ring finger and smiled at the diamond ring that rested there. He had asked her to marry him two weeks ago. She was finally getting her happy ever after.

Stella squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She'd been stuck in traffic for well over an hour now and she was in desperate need of a restroom. She sighed irritably as she glanced out the window. "I can't believe I'm about to go pee in a bush," she said to herself pulling her car over to side of the highway. She stepped out of the car and pushed her way through the overgrowth until she was far enough into the woods. She didn't need people staring at her. Oddly though, she felt as if she were being watched. She gave herself a little shake telling her she was being silly.

When she was done with her business she started making her way back to the road when she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around but there was nobody there. She felt her heartbeat begin to race and forced herself to take a deep breath. "It was just an animal," she said to herself and turned around to keep going. She had only taken a few more steps when she felt something rush past her. She stopped dead in her tracks. She spun around but still no one was there. However, this time she was positive it was not an animal.

"Hello?" she cried out. "Is anybody there?" But no one answered. She felt her breathing hitch in panic as she turned around and started walking faster. But she didn't get very far when something slammed into her. She flew through the air before crashing into the trunk of a tree. She groaned in pain as she landed on the forest floor. She struggled to breathe and she clasped an arm around her broken ribs while she tried to push herself up with the other arm. But just as she got a knee up she felt something step hard down onto her back.

She screamed in agony as she felt her spine snap. She couldn't move. She had no way of escape. She couldn't even turn her head to see what was attacking her. She felt herself get lifted up into someone's arms and she finally saw the face of her attacker. He was beautiful, even more beautiful than Darren. "I must have died," she thought weakly. "He must be an angel." Her fear left her then as the "angel" brought his lips to her neck. She gasped when he bit her and realization hit. He wasn't an angel, he was a vampire. She didn't have time to be afraid though. A truck honked its horn nearby and the vampire dropped her and ran off into the woods.

Stella lay on the forest floor sobbing in terror. She couldn't get up and she was too far away to cry for help. She was going to die out here in the woods alone. Or worse, the vampire could come back. However, that quickly became the least of her problems. Out of nowhere her body began to feel as if it were burning. She gasped in shock and clasped the wound on her neck before her body began to twist is pain. She let out an earsplitting shriek that she knew no one would hear on the road. "I'm going to die," she thought and closed her eyes and pictured Darren's face.


End file.
